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What To Store

Grains

The foundation of all food
storage programs should be grains, which are nutritious, as well as
inexpensive and easy to store. (See below for a list of bulk food
suppliers. You should also be able to get these products locally.)

Hard red winter wheat is a
good variety of wheat for baking bread and sprouting. Thus you will
probably want the majority of your wheat to be hard red winter
wheat.

Corn should also be a part
of your food storage program. Whole corn has a longer shelf life and
retains its nutritional value better than storing cornmeal. Dent
corn can be stored for making tortillas.

Brown rice has an advantage
over white because of its high nutritional value. However, because
of its high fat content, it will not store very long (up to 2-3
years at room temp. with low oxygen levels). White rice will store
many years.

Oats are most easily stored
in their "rolled" form, as whole oats will have some of the hulls
left on.

A variety of other grains
such as rye, barley, millet, and pastas can also be included in your
storage program.

A grain mill will also be
needed for grinding these grains. Sources below: Christian Family
Resources, Azure Standard and Millennium Outfitters, L.L.C.

Beans

Soybeans are an essential
part of any food storage program, because of their high protein
content. Soy can be used in baked goods, or as milk and meat
substitutes. Soybeans have a shelf life of only 3-4 years unless
packaged in an oxygen-reduced atmosphere.

It would be good to have a
variety of other beans, including ones that cook quickly, such as
lentils and black beans.

Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried
Fruits, Vegetables and Dairy Products

Fruits, vegetables and dairy
products, etc, should be purchased professionally dehydrated and
prepackaged from a reputable food packing company. The following
dehydrated food products are recommended: Milk, butter, egg and
cheese powder, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Freeze-dried foods are more
expensive, and take more space than dehydrated food. However, they
have better flavor, and meat is only available
freeze-dried.

Sprouts

Because of the fact that
storage foods do not include fresh fruits and vegetables, which
provide important vitamins and minerals, it is important to be
prepared to grow sprouts to replace those “live” foods. Sprouts have
higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids than
either the seed or the grown plant. Sprouts are fun and easy to
grow, and can be used in a variety of ways. Add them to salads,
sandwiches, meat loaf, casseroles, bread recipes, etc. Liquify them
and add to beverages.

How to
Sprout

Soak seeds, beans or grain
overnight in 1-Qt. wide-mouth jar filled 1/2 full with warm water.
(Start with 1-3 Tbsp. seeds and adjust amount later depending on how
full jar becomes when sprouted.) Cover top of jar with cheesecloth,
gauze or pantyhose and secure with rubber band or jar ring. In AM,
drain water and rinse and drain again well. Store jar in dark place,
such as inside kitchen cabinet, or just covered with towel. Rinse
seeds 2 - 3 times daily for 2 - 4 days, draining well each time.
They may then be eaten or stored in a plastic bag in the
refrigerator. If sprouts seem tough or bitter, they probably were
sprouted too long.

Caution: Do not sprout seeds
intended for agricultural use as they have been treated with
insecticides. Also, tomato and potato seeds are poisonous and must
not be sprouted.

Miscellaneous
Foods

Items like baking soda,
baking powder, gluten, yeast, sugar, honey, salt, bouillon, oils,
nuts, peanut butter, etc. also need to be stored. Several of these,
including Crisco and oils, can be purchased at a supermarket and
stored in their original container safely for a couple of
years.

Also you should have a
sprouter and sprouting seeds because of their high nutritional
value.

Travel
/ Camping Foods

Travel and camping foods are
definitely not essential to a food storage program, but would be
useful in certain types of emergencies, such as when you need to
leave your home for a period of time.

MRE’s (meals-ready-to-eat)
are military meals that are packaged in metalized bags, and can be
eaten directly from the package.They have a shelf life of up to ten
years if kept at the right temperature. MRE’s can be purchased as
either entrees or complete meals. When purchasing MRE’s it is
important to be sure that they are fresh and have not been sitting
in a hot warehouse for an extended period of time.

Unlike MRE’s, emergency food
bars, such as "MainStay" brand, (not to be confused with sports
bars), can be stored in a hot environment like the trunk of a car
without going bad.

How Much To Store

The following list gives
approximate amounts for each type of food for one adult for one
year, at approximately 2450 calories per day.

Where To Buy It

CAVEAT EMPTOR -- LET THE BUYER
BEWARE:

We make the following
DISCLAIMER: Vendor names listed on our site have not been screened
by us and we make ABSOLUTELY NO claim relative to their product,
quality, reliability, service, or ability to make accurate,
efficient, or timely deliveries of goods and/or services. We
recommend that you exercise all diligence and take precaution when
ordering, especially by mail. Make certain (for future reference),
that you obtain a customer number, an order number, and record all
pertinent information about the name, address, telephone number, and
name of the person and the department who processes your
order.We also suggest that you obtain the name of the shipper
(e.g. UPS, FedEx), the shipping charges, the estimated time of
arrival (ETA), and ask for full disclosure of the company's return
policy in the event that items are not shipped on time, with
accuracy, or are damaged or destroyed in transit.This list is
supplied as a public service and we do not endorse or sponsor any
vendor, nor do we have any financial gain in any of the companies
listed herein.If you do not receive satisfactory service from
any of the vendors listed below, please list your complaint in
writing and send us a copy.If you know of other
vendors not listed here, but some, based on your experience, you
believe are worthy of consideration, please e-mail the vendor's name, and
(toll-free) telephone number, website URL, or e-mail address.

Other Prepackaged Dehydrated Food
Companies

Bigfoot360-256-9131

Carolyn
Ghena2384 Upper River Rd.Grants Pass, OR
97526(541)-476-0620Food counseling is provided for $50.00,
but is deducted from the price of your order. $350.00
minimumDehydrated prepackaged and bulk foods as well as other
survival items.

Alpineaire
FoodsPO Box 926Nevada City, Nevada
95959800-322-6325Quality shelf stable foods which have a
long storage life, and are free of artificial additives. We
specialize in foods which require no cooking - just add
water.

Future
foodsPO Box1922Orem, Utah
84059-1922800-949-3663Buy a year’s supply of groceries in
advance for no money down and 0% interest for an entire year. Pay as
little as $50 per month for an entire year’s supply. No shipping
charges on multiple units purchased. Receive entire order within 14
days of credit approval and make no payments for 30 days.

How To Package Food For
Storage

Preserving Your Own
Food. Some foods need to be purchased prepackaged
from a food storage company, but for dry foods such as grains and
beans, you can cut back on the expense by packaging them
yourself.

First you will need to
purchase plastic food-grade buckets. After putting the food in your
buckets, you will need to have some way of removing the oxygen to
preserve the food. One way this is done is by displacing the air
inside the bucket with carbon dioxide (CO2), or nitrogen. To do this
you will need a gas regulator and wand. The actual process is done
by filling your bucket with food, and inserting the wand to the
bottom of your bucket. Then just barely crack the valve of the gas
cylinder. The bucket will fill with gas in about two to five
minutes. To be sure all oxygen has been displaced, hold a lighted
match over the bucket. If the flame goes out immediately, you have
removed all the oxygen. You may now add an oxygen absorber on top of
the food if you wish, to absorb any oxygen that may be left in the
bucket, and put the lid on.

Another method is to use
about 1/4 lb. dry ice, wrapped in butcher paper, in the bottom of
the bucket, with the lid sitting very loosely over the top. Wait
about 20-30 min. and close lid. Then watch carefully to see if lid
starts to bulge. If it does, loosen lid and wait a few more minutes
for dry ice to finish melting. Once the lid no longer bulges, you
may close it.

CO2 (dry ice or a CO2
cylinder) has a disadvantage over nitrogen in that it sometimes
causes the bucket to suck in and deform, making it impossible to
open the lid. The problem is due to the fact that CO2 expands and
contracts with the temperature, so the trick is to: 1. Package the
food when the temperature is not very hot or cold (lest the buckets
collapse or bulge). 2. Be sure the buckets are filled as full and
tightly as possible with food, so there is less CO2 to contract, or
expand.

NOTE: DO NOT
store your food buckets on a concrete floor. Put boards underneath
them to keep them off the concrete.

Related Food Storage
Products

CAVEAT EMPTOR -- LET THE BUYER BEWARE:

We make the following
DISCLAIMER: Vendor names listed on our site have not been screened
by us and we make ABSOLUTELY NO claim relative to their product,
quality, reliability, service, or ability to make accurate,
efficient, or timely deliveries of goods and/or services. We
recommend that you exercise all diligence and take precaution when
ordering, especially by mail. Make certain (for future reference),
that you obtain a customer number, an order number, and record all
pertinent information about the name, address, telephone number, and
name of the person and the department who processes your
order.We also suggest that you obtain the name of the shipper
(e.g. UPS, FedEx), the shipping charges, the estimated time of
arrival (ETA), and ask for full disclosure of the company's return
policy in the event that items are not shipped on time, with
accuracy, or are damaged or destroyed in transit.This list is
supplied as a public service and we do not endorse or sponsor any
vendor, nor do we have any financial gain in any of the companies
listed herein.If you do not receive satisfactory service from
any of the vendors listed below, please list your complaint in
writing and send us a copy.If you know of other
vendors not listed here, but some, based on your experience, you
believe are worthy of consideration, please e-mail the vendor's name, and
(toll-free) telephone number, website URL, or e-mail address.

M&M
Industries Inc.Chattanooga, Tenn.423-821-3302White
food-grade buckets in various sizes, including 5 and 6 1/2 gallon,
with latching screw-top lids and gaskets.Make sure you ask
for white buckets with gaskets, as they also carry grey and
black buckets which are NOT F.D.A. approved for food
storage.

Water Storage Products

Storing water is quite
simple. In fact everything you need to know is included in the
printed copy of this
Guide which includes
excerpts from the catalog which may be requested from the following
address.